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Pekoe Most Poison: A Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs

In the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, Theodosia Browning attends a “Rat Tea,” where the mice will play…at murder.
When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued. As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health.

But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat.

The distraught Doreen soon engages Theo to pursue a discreet inquiry into who might have murdered her husband. As Theo and her tea sommelier review the guest list for suspects, they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse…

There was definitely a different tone to this latest Tea Shop Mystery.

While I have always loved the trio that are the Indigo Tea Shop, Haley the baker extrodinaire, Drayton, the perfect gentleman and tea sommeliar and Theo, running the show and loving what she does.

We meet some new characters in this book and of course all of our favorites are here. Although one is definitely missing and missed!

After being practically blackmailed to investigate, Theo and Drayton put their heads together to find out who killed Beau and why. There are no shortage of possible suspects, really unsavory characters, but are the killers too?

Theo has developed quite a backbone. I enjoyed her new bolder personality and I think it is a very natural growth process for her as a character. Everyone felt very sure of their place in this one. A maturing of all the characters.

The recipes are included in the book and as usual, they are divine! Laura always gives us such good tips for teas and tea sources and we get to read a great cozy mystery!